Advertise

Sites

Megamind & The Social Network. Meh & brilliant.

I haven’t seen a movie in, like, a year. And then last weekend I saw 2 movies in 12 hours. The Social Network on Friday night and then Megamind with my kids on Saturday morning.

The first was brilliant. The second was appalling.

Have you seen The Social Network? Who knew a movie about a website could be so scintillating but IT WAS. This is good news for Mamamia:The Movie which is currently not in development but perhaps should be. Usually, I have movie ADD and after about half an hour, I’m reaching for my phone to check MM and Twitter and see if anyone has texted me because my God, what might I have missed?

Not this time. When the movie ended, I looked at my watch but only because I thought it must be a mistake because didn’t it, like, only start 25 minutes ago?
Two hours had passed without me realising. It was that good.

Who knew Justin Timberlake could act? And those twins! They were played by the same actor. I know this because like a geek, I googled them as soon as I got in the car.

Now I want to read the book on which the film was based: Accidental Billionaires.

Here’s Mark Zuckerberg himself talking about The Social Network and what HE thought of the movie:

Emboldened by my Very Positive Movie Experience (I remember! The last films I saw was Avatar and then Toy Story 3 – both in 3D and both of which made me want to vomit and gave me a headache. No more 3D movies for me, sorry James Cameron), I backed up the next day to take the kids to Megamind. Tina Fey – one of my favourite people – was in it so it was fabulous right?

NO. NOT RIGHT AT ALL. IT SUCKED.

Where to start? Well, you know how lots of kids movies now have a whole other subtext going on for the adults? Not this one. This one had a crappy script and stupid characters.

I am SO SICK of the female characters in kids films being wet, pathetic victims. Always needing to be rescued and always pining for the guy. Tina – well, her character – was exactly like that.

She didn’t have a single funny line.

There was not a single laugh in the whole movie, actually. The audience was absolutely silent. And the movie went for 17 hours.

.

It felt like it.

I had plenty of time to think about some positive female characters in kids movies and I couldn’t.

Not Shrek. Not Toy Story. Not….can you think of any? Don’t laugh but the most empowered you-go-girl female characters are in the Barbie movies. At least they DO stuff. Rescue people. Fight baddies. Admittedly, with no room in their animated bodies for internal organs but still. Better than faux Tina who – I HOPE – was bitching and moaning in the sound booth when she was recording her lines. Or maybe she was just counting money in her head. Fair enough.
But not even Brad Pitt’s voice in Megamind is enough to save it.

Have you seen either of these movies? What did you think? Any other films we should watch or avoid?

Here’s a Tina Fey and Will Farrell interview for Megamind (fast forward to the 1.50 mark):